wensiensheng

I understand what you are saying, but there is one flaw in your argument. The virus is not spreading because of incoming tourists in Phuket, or would it necessarily spread because of incoming tourists in Bangkok were the borders to be opened. it is statistical fact that virus spread in Phuket is primarily by way of community transmission amongst residents. And it should be noted that authorities claim an 80% fully vaxed rate. If Bangkok were to reach a similar level of vaccination and then let in visitors, there is nothing to say that the experience of the sandbox would not be repeated. In other words, rising cases from local community transmission. thailand is on the UK red list, but not necessarily because of its absolute case numbers. Lack of genomic testing is probably more relevant coupled with a lack of transparency over Covid information.

Well, people who murder other people, as a starting point. Unless you think they should be executed? Or, you have another solution? Most of civilized society would like to hear one from you as at the moment incarceration in prison is the most heavily used option, with a sprinkling of executions.

What was the point of the sandbox then, if not to attract foreign tourists and their spending power? and the reason they stopped domestic tourism was to drive down Covid cases in order to justify being able to launch the sandbox. I’m with the previous poster, they prioritized an attempt to attract foreign tourists, over domestic tourism.

If the still shuttered shophouses in kata and karon are anything to go by, you can add those areas to the small Phuket area. Kata beach area still only has one family mart open, and very few cafes, most of which are attached to large hotels. I could post pictures of streets with shuttered businesses, but what’s the point, we all know there are a few tourists in the bigger hotels, but none walking the streets as they used to do. Why would they? Everything is closed.

And I guess this also answers my question. https://thethaiger.com/news/business/occupancy-at-alternative-quarantine-hotels-takes-a-nosedive?utm_source=Thaiger+Daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2021-09-18

No figures on how the ASQ hotels in Bangkok have done in competition with the sandbox? How many of the 33k are additional, and how many cannibalized from the pre existing Bangkok process of entering the country?

A cardinal sin. UNDER estimating the amount of money to be spent. I bet he’s been fired already.

It’s not totally clear, but their calculations seem to be based on 40 flights over 13 weeks, not 40 per week for 13 weeks. But I’m not sure where the figure of 40 flights comes from. They note 7 airlines operating 3 direct flights a week. Which suggests 21 flights per week. I think there is more information not quoted in the article and that enables them to be confident of using a figure of 40 flights over 13 weeks, in their calculations.

Lol, yes, getting my injection methods mixed up. Intramuscular is just the normal method.

Indeed. If intramuscular injection is such a good idea, why didn’t AZ and all the other vaccine manufacturers recommend that from the get go? I know people will say that it uses less vaccine so the pharma companies couldn’t charge so much, but I don’t really believe that. If it was such an obvious money grab the companies would get called out on it, particular during such challenging times. of course, AZ can wash its hands of the whole thing. If their vaccine is used in an unapproved way, no responsibility on them if it goes wrong, although it may damage confidence in their brand. I’d expect to see some kind of announcement from AZ to the effect that they recommend the vaccine be utilized only in the recommended manner.

I look at it this way. The vaccines are already experimental. Almost certainly safe, now tested in millions of people, but without the years of data that a normal vaccine process would gather. But, needs must. The risk from the virus for the worlds population overall, outweighs the risk of rushing vaccine development. Fair enough. but now the risk of the experimental vaccine (admittedly very low), is compounded by the experiment of two particular mixed vaccines for which there is little data and no peer reviewed studies. AND, on top of that they want to experiment further with a different injection process for which there are no studies. Vachira hospital (hardly renowned for its medical research since it’s a basic provincial government hospital subject to all the normal funding constraints of such facilities) pointedly releases no information on its research, which even the hospital itself doesn’t have the temerity to call a study, simply terming it an “experiment”. so it’s experiment, on experiment, on experiment, with each one having less and less medical research behind it. Sheez.

They really are worried about those double jabbed with sinovac aren’t they? Resorting to everything, anything, to improve the limited protection it gives. Whilst at the same time defending to the hilt the decision to use it in the first place. as to whether it’s a good thing to deliver vaccine in this way, I guess a 200k study group is about to be set up consisting of forced volunteers.

No I don’t. But do you think this particular lady is a good example of a security threat to Thailand? Because that is precisely what they cite her as.

I would wager that someone has designs on her deceased husbands business and reported her to get her out of the way.

let’s give them another high season with no western tourists for publishing a photograph of this old woman. Catch her, process her, punish her. But publish her crime? That’s over the top. I’m just loving the payback time. IO income must be in the toilet with so few kickbacks due to no tourists.

I’m not sure what Phuket having 200 plus cases a day has to do with the sandbox, or tourist arrival per se. sandbox tourists are a minuscule part of the island population at any given time and the positive cases from that minuscule part of the population is even more a minuscule part of the daily case count. I also don’t see what difference a couple of hundred cases a day is going to make to the decision making process of tourists. Most are coming from countries that have much higher case counts, they have been double vaccinated and most have lived fairly normally with Covid all around in their home countries. Not being able to have an enjoyable holiday due to Covid restrictions placed on them when they arrive is far more likely a turn off for them. if the Thai authorities are sending an expert team to Phuket to save anything, how about saving the education of the kids by opening up schools? Isn’t enough of the population vaccinated by now?

Government hospital maybe chock a block, I don’t know for sure. Also, I think most the pressure may be on beds for non symptomatic people as there are many more of them, compared to those with severe symptoms. If so, quite strange that there are enough beds for sick people, just not those who aren’t, and yet the situation is deemed critical with only 10% beds remaining. the other ridiculous situation is the sea gypsy village in Rawai. Mass testing on 31st August, lockdown announced 10 sept, finally enacted 15 sept. How to control a virus with that kind of responsiveness? And I haven’t actually checked that the lockdown is in place yet, I’ll take a look today out of curiosity. and then this plan isn’t new at all. They have been doing each of the three prongs for some time now. phuket has Covid issues to be sure. The only good thing is that cases with severe symptoms will likely be limited due to the high rate of vaccination. Which is a good thing and actually the desired outcome. Can’t really expect more than that, certainly can’t expect to not have cases.

Isn’t that pretty much the same the world over? Maybe it’s more subtle in some countries but in most it’s pretty much in your face.

From a health perspective, I don’t really feel it’s necessary. But if it’s what has to be done these days so as to attend school, I guess it has to be done. And not just attend to school, also to go in and out of Phuket freely, board planes, avoid quarantines etc, all require kids to be vaccinated to some degree. Might as well get it over with.

Despite the headline, the article doesn’t actually say who is tipping (hinting, suggesting) that Thailand will be removed from the red list. Nor does actually say that anyone has done so. It simply repeats a synopsis of the UK traffic light process. meanwhile, this is a screen shot from sky news rolling Covid coverage. 12 countries “tipped” to be moved from the red list, no mention of Thailand among them. It’s all speculation of course.

19.33 sounds an exact number, not “about”. My “about 15%” statement was correct as 15% is “about” 19.33%. And though I now know the exact number of vaccinations, I still don’t find it surprising that 80% of fatalities are from the unvaccinated. Hard to see how it could be any different given that a lot of the vaccinations happened in the last month and deaths presumably are counted from the beginning of the pandemic.

Yes, once again Thailand seems fixated on case numbers as the be all and end all. The UK is pretty used to high case numbers, they live with them everyday, mutations is what they are more worried about I think. The genomic thing is a big factor I believe.

Because they aren’t “visitors”, they are british.

It’s pretty much the view I have reached also. Lockdowns and closures are absolutely essential while vaccination rates are raised. But once vaccinations are at a high level, people are well enough protected for life to start again in a fairly normal fashion. Hoping/waiting for zero deaths is illogical because that is an impossibility.

It’s hardly surprising that 80% of deaths have been unvaccinated. Only about 15% of the population is fully vaccinated.